Free will and the power to do good

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I believe we have free will, but have always struggled reconcilition that with “God’s plan”. When individuals say it is God’s plan, does that in some way negate a notion of free will? Or, if God know which way people will choose to unfold, yet he created people in that way, is our free will merely the micro of his macro? I can appreciate St. Augustine’s struggle with this.
 
valentino said:
we have free will.but free will doesn’t give us the power not to sin.So if we have no power are we really free to do the right thing?I recently looked at a video on a serial killer named Jeff Dahmer.It appeared that even though he knew that murder was wrong he couldn’t control his behavior.While he was in the supervision of his grandmother or the army he was able to control his behavior and even feel good with his accomplishments.When he was in boot camp and AIC training(about a year total)he didn’t drink or have homosexual relations.But once he was given freedom(shipped over seas and no direct supervisor watching his every action)he went back to his drinking and eventually discharged as an alcoholic.Now as to children.a child has a brother.the brother takes the childs’s toy and the child gets mad and they fight.Now its a sin to fight.The child has the free will not to get mad at his brother for taking his toy.But he does get mad and therefore sins.I will say that this is a normal occurence.Even though the child knew (his parents told him not to fight in the past and not to lose his temper)he didn’t seem to have the power (or he was not aware of the power)not to get angry with his brother and try to get his toy back when his brother said “no I want it”.So as in the case with Dahmer.he’s obviously guilty for drinking,homosexual behavior and killing.But if he didn’t have the power to stop on his own,how guilty is he?
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Our freedom is limited, at least to some degree, relative to the freedom of God. What man lost at the fall-or what he was lost from-was God, Himself. Without His direct indwelling, we’re powerless to consistently do the right thing. So our freedom consists in giving up, in a way, giving up our own “godhood” for His, reversing Adam & Eve’s decision within ourselves. And even this decision requires His help. But He doesn’t want it to be all His doing-he wants our participation. So our freedom consists in the freedom to accept or reject His power, His righteousness, His help in triumphing over sin. It’s the choice between life and death, good and evil, order and disorder.

To not choose is to opt to continue playing God, because only God, by virtue of His perfection, is beyond the need to choose between one moral option or another.
 
fhansen said:
Our freedom is limited, at least to some degree, relative to the freedom of God. What man lost at the fall-or what he was lost from-was God, Himself. Without His direct indwelling, we’re powerless to consistently do the right thing. So our freedom consists in giving up, in a way, giving up our own “godhood” for His, reversing Adam & Eve’s decision within ourselves. And even this decision requires His help. But He doesn’t want it to be all His doing-he wants our participation. So our freedom consists in the freedom to accept or reject His power, His righteousness, His help in triumphing over sin. It’s the choice between life and death, good and evil, order and disorder.

To not choose is to opt to continue playing God, because only God, by virtue of His perfection, is beyond the need to choose between one moral option or another.
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thanks.You make it very clear to me.i understand what your saying.
 
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